(Oregon Coast) – It was the year of the big tsunami scare, adorable seal pups being born, of strange space phenomena, glowing sand and dramatic weather and sand level events. 2011 had plenty going on along this coastline, and what happened this year has created much to keep an eye on in the coming year (above: remarkable stuff was visible this summer because of high sand levels, like the arch at Arch Cape).

Things started off gently enough with a popular look at space and astronomy from the beaches. One of the biggest stories was an exploration of interstellar phenomenon from a coastal perspective Compendium of Astronomy, Star Shots from Oregon Coast at Night. This series of articles was widely re-syndicated around the internet.

Then, however, in March the big news turned to the enormous tsunami scare. One Friday that month turned frightening as an earthquake in Japan tore up that country – including a horrific tsunami. Then, around 11 p.m., you could see the faces of news anchors on Portland TV station KGW-Channel 8 turn ashen and white, live on the air, as a NOAA spokesman announced that a tsunami watch on the Oregon coast turned to a definite warning, and even predicted the possibility of catastrophic 11-foot waves to smother towns like Cannon Beach.

Luckily, Oregon received not much more than a bit of damage to Depoe Bay and some larger and more expensive destruction in the harbor at Brookings. A few dimwits purposefully loitered around the beaches, waiting to photograph what might occur, and some minor injuries were reported because of that.

New seal pup at Seaside Aquarium (photo courtesy Seaside Aquarium)

There was an odd story of a pair of musicians staying in the Willamette Valley near Silverton who were convinced they would have to evacuate (almost 100 miles away from the coast).

There was some minor concern about the possibility of radiation coming to the west coast because of a damaged nuclear power plant, but that turned to be completely off the mark. One goofball internet publication tried to spread panic through sensationalized and fictional stories of more tsunami alerts and radiation issues over the next couple of weeks, raising the ire of a huge number of coastal residents for a time.

Roadwork on the coast was a big issue all year. First, there was that huge tunnel project on Highway 26, creating nighttime traffic diversions and problems – until June. Even then, other work along 26 slowed traffic. A slide near Happy Camp, along the Three Capes Loop, cut off traffic flow from one end of Oceanside and Netarts during the summer, making for some unhappy campers and tourists. The project along Highway 20 towards Newport hit some major financial and strategic snags, and even Highway 18 towards Lincoln City encountered its share of closures and detours on and off over the year.

Summer kicked in, bringing one of the best seasons ever for warm weather. Record highs at times gave way to the longest stretch of glorious days the coast had seen in years. It would wind up staying mostly sunny and warm from late June into September and October.